Just the right girl
by 6Doris9
Summary: Harry and Ginny are no more. She cheated on him and so he's been playing the life of a wizarding playboy. He's got a blind date with someone Hermione has said would be his perfect match, who is it? And how does the date go? Written for The Hideaway Quill


Harry groaned and rolled over in his bed. Last night had been a blast. He had found the most beautiful girl in all Britain and spent the whole night with her. Unfortunately her brain didn't match her looks and so he didn't bother bringing her back home with him.

It had been like this for over a year now. Ever since Ginny left her to go back to Dean, he had been a true party animal, wooer of pretty girls and the best friend of firewhiskey. At first he did it to annoy Ginny. And annoyed she was. The countless evenings she came back to him, trying to talk him out of this lifestyle... He laughed in her face and told her to go back to her new man. She did and after a few weeks stopped coming altogether. But of course - he seemed a lost cause. Why bother?

Soon he started enjoying this life. Having no worries, entertaining beautiful women, throwing money and his name everywhere to get attention and certain fees. He loved it. It was the perfect life for a perfect Harry Potter. Ron joined him for a while, but then left him be. Harry understood. Ron never got the most beautiful girls, he was never capable of spending as much as Harry was and he never accepted any money from his friend either. So he stopped going to these parties and their friendship continued during the daytime.

A little less than a year after his break-up with Ginny, he got tired of parties. Yes, there where pretty girls everywhere, throwing themselves on him and demanding attention and galleons from the mighty Boy-Who-Saved. But none of them seemed capable of sharing a real conversation. Although some of them had apparently read every available version of his life and memorized it almost perfectly. Like he cared about that...

He slowly opened his eyes to see an amused witch standing next to his bed, smirking at him and holding a hangover potion.

"Uhh, thanks Hermione... Spent the night here again, didn't I?"

He gulped down the potion and smiled at his best friend. Lately he'd been coming here after his parties. Hermione didn't mind, although she did tell him to get a life and stop acting like a spoiled brat.

"Apparently you did. I was still up when you arrived, reading in the library."

Hermione was probably the only person he knew who had their own library.

"And well... You were pretty out of yourself, singing about a girl named Harriet and her silly mind that, let me quote - "couldn't even count to five"."

Harry snorted and noticed that Hermione was really trying not to laugh.

"So I mixed up a quick hangover potion and arranged myself a place on the couch."

Oh no. He had once again fallen asleep on her bed. And once again he had made her sleep on the couch.

"Herms, I'm sorry. You do know that you could actually throw me out everytime I get lost and come here?"

Hermione nodded and smiled a bit.

"Harry, you should really do something with your life. It's been more than a year now. Let her go and find yourself a new meaning..."

Harry raised his head and looked deep into her hazel eyes. How could he tell her, that he's not doing it for Ginny anymore. That he's afraid of what's going to happen next if he would stop partying. That he doesn't know how to do anything else.

"Think about it. There's coffee and bagels in the kitchen. Feel free to join me for breakfast!"

With that she left him to wash himself and get dressed. All the while he was thinking about being the luckiest man to know Hermione Granger.

* * *

"Harry, do you honestly want to say that you enjoy those girls you spend your nights with both physically and intellectually?"

Hermione was smearing jam on her bagel and Harry had just started on his coffee.

"You know how it is... First I see a pretty girl, I ask her out and she reveals her true self - a dimwit. And then I never meet her again..."

Harry smiled, but Hermione didn't share his views.

"Don't you think it's time to find something more permanent now? You're 24 years old!"

The thought only scared him enough to make him snap.

"And you're 25! You live alone, spend your evenings with books and have breakfast with your loser friends. Don't you think I would like a nice life? It's not so easy when you're THE Harry Potter!"

Hermione looked slightly hurt at his words. He saw it and opened his mouth to apologize, but Hermione raised her hand to stop him.

"You may be the Harry Potter, but I am Hermione Granger - a bookworm, the Harry Potter's know-it-all sidekick, bushy haired muggleborn. I think it's much harder for me to find a lovely man to settle down with than it is for you to find that one girl."

Harry shook his head.

"Hermione... There's nothing wrong with you. You're intelligent, yet fun. You can hold an interesting conversation, yet know when to hold your tongue. And as for your bushy hair - I think it's endearing. You're beautiful. I would like to be with you if it weren't for..."

And then he found himself at a loss of words. If it weren't for... what? Ginny? No, he was way over her. Ron? Hermione obviously didn't care for Ron that way and Harry had the feeling that it wasfinally mutual. The girls he spent his nights with? He couldn't even fake himself into liking them anymore.

"You know... I think I know someone perfect for you. She's patient and caring and likes to have long conversations. You might even say she's brilliant when it comes to 's just the right girl!"

Harry felt his ears go red. Hermione was setting him up for a date?

"I think I can arrange a date for the two of you this evening. All I need is for you to agree."

She smiled and Harry felt the world go a bit lighter on his shoulders. Maybe this was it. Hermione had always known what was best for him.

"A blind date, Hermione Granger? I hope she's not very ugly..."

Hermione snickered and sent her friend a wink.

"No. You might even say she's beautiful."

Beautiful girls were Harry's weakness. Though surprisingly enough it wasn't redheads who attracked his attention. So he nodded and watched Hermione's smile grow wider than it was humanly possible.

"Great! You'll meet her at seven o'clock at The Spring Dandelion."

They continued their breakfast with little chit-chat about world news and the Ministry and then it was time for Harry to leave. He said his goodbyes and kissed Hermione on the cheek. She laughed and wished him a lovely evening.

When Harry reached home, he understood he hadn't even asked the girl's name. Hermione's floo network wasn't answering, so he decided he would find out at seven...

* * *

He apparated in front of the restaurant five minutes before seven. It gave him enough time to once again use his name and get a table with little trouble. It also gave him enough time to place a white gardenia on the table. He wasn't sure if this mysterious "right girl" liked flowers, but he had decided to take the risk.

Harry waited for ten minutes. There were pretty girls coming in, but they all had suitors. He glanced at his watch and sighed. Maybe Hermione couldn't get the girl to agree. Although - with a small burst of ego - he couldn't imagine a girl who would deny herself a chance with him.

"Khm."

A female voice cleared her throat right behind him. He felt blood rushing to his face and very slowly turned his head. The sight knocked him breathless.

It was definitely a pretty girl. She had brownish colored eyes with a tint of amber eyeshadow. Her light brown curls fell loosely around her petite shoulders and it looked like she had a halo around her hair. She was wearing a nice light yellow summerdress with tiny drops of amber adorning the waistline and her beautifully shaped legs were standing in low heeled yellow shoes, also covered in amber.

Harry couldn't take his eyes off of her. He took his time to take in the girl in front of him and then found his voice.

"H-Hermione... You look... I mean... Absolutely..."

Hermione giggled and sat down at the table.

"Speechless, oh famous Harry Potter?"

All she received for an answer was a nod.

"So... What are we having?"

She grabbed a menu and looked it up. Harry still couldn't decide if he should believe what's happening or not.

"I think I'm going for duck. What would you like?"

Harry forced a smile on his lips and looked deep into her eyes.

"Duck sounds good. Have you been here before?"

She nodded and explained that her parents like the place very much, even if it's not a muggle restaurant. He smiled again, this time without effort. Everything fell into place. Hermione must have known exactly what she was doing. All the pieces klicked at once and he finally saw things in the right light.

"So... You think that we...?"

Hermione's smile faded and she nodded. He had so many questions roaming around in his head and he wanted answers for them all, but seeing her there, so beautiful and fancy, he couldn't bring himself to say anything more than:"Sounds fine to me!"

That brought a sparkle in her eyes and they continued their evening. After eating the duck, they discussed politics and their friends lives. Harry spoke about Quidditch and Hermione mentioned some new books she had been planning to buy. It didn't surprise him at all how at ease they were. This thing... Their date - it felt so normal.

They left the restaurant and took a nice long walk on the streets of London. Harry brought her to a swing in a nearby park and Hermione showed him her favourite statues. It was a nice evening and Harry felt a kind of sadness when they were parting for the night.

"It was a good evening. We should repeat it."

She nodded and smiled. They were standing in front of her door. It had been a good time for her too. Even more than she had hoped for.

He hesitated for a second and then brought his lips to hers. The kiss was chaste, but it seemed to seal some kind of a deal between them. It didn't finish their friendship, but it started something new and much different. They were more than friends now and it felt so right for the both of them.

Hermione was the first to pull back and Harry grinned sheepisly at her face. She was blushing and there was a mirroring grin on her face. He took a step back and turned around to leave. Hermione also turned to her door and opened it. Before she could go in, she heard a cheerful shout:"Tomorrow at lunch!"

She giggled and went inside, not seeing a happy young man with jet black hair blowing a kiss at her direction.


End file.
